Mesmerized
by ckorkows
Summary: A Sydney/Gage one-shot. Sydney has been a bit distant since the kiss at Alex and Walker's wedding and, when Gage spots something odd in her gym bag, he decides to follow her to see what's up. You'll never guess where his chase leads him. Please review.


_**Okay S/G lovers, this is my first ever one-shot, don't get too excited, but somebody follows his partner to a place you'd never expect to see her! Let me know what you think (ie: Read and Review). Enjoy the Ride, Ckorkows.**_

**Mesmerized**

Gage ran his fingers through his hair, sighing heavily as he looked over at the now vacant desk of his partner, Ranger Sydney Cooke. Things hadn't been going so good since that kiss they'd had at Walker and Alex's wedding. Sydney had passed it off as a 'celebratory' kiss and kicked him when he'd given her a chance to kiss him again. He pressed his fingers against his jaw; hell…it still hurt a little. But what hurt was his pride, not that he really wanted to get into a relationship with Sydney…Gage smirked, okay, maybe a little. But only to see if she felt the attraction too.

Tossing his head back he looked over at Trivette, who was staring at him with a big, goofy grin, "What?"

Trivette shook his head, but couldn't stop grinning, "You've been sitting there for an hour staring off into space. Got something on your mind?"

Gage scowled, dropping his head to look at the paperwork he should've finished yesterday, "Yeah. The Frenchman case that we wrapped up last week, I've got to talk to Syd to find out some details on it before I finish this…" a clever thought came to Gage, "Hey Trivette, you know where she went?"

Trivette shrugged, that boy had it bad, "The gym I guess, she said that she had to grab her bag and go. She finished her paperwork earlier."

Gage stood up abruptly, tipping his chair, "Okay. See ya then."

Walker was walking in the door when Gage brushed past him, his brown jacket slung over his shoulder as he rushed to catch the elevator, "What was that all about?"

Trivette was laughing too hard to answer.

Gage was in such a rush to find Sydney that he literally ran into her at the entrance to the gym. Sydney bounced off of his chest and put a hand on his shoulder to steady herself, "Whoa! Where you headin' big boy?"

Gage's eyes were glued to the open gym bag in Sydney's hand, inside was something blood red and shiny, he reached for it, "Hey, I was looking for….what's…"

Sydney slapped his hand away, still smiling, "Did you need me for something, cause I've gotta be some place in…" she looked at her watch and cursed, "Shit! Gage I'm sorry, call me later if it's important, but I'm gonna be late if I don't leave now!"

Gage found himself staring into thin air as Sydney brushed past him and took off at a slight jog toward the parking garage. He could have sworn that the red, shiny thing in Syd's bag had been a dress… But why would his partner have a dress in her gym bag?

"Where do you need to be?" He asked the empty air in front of him. This was getting weird; Sydney didn't have any plans, ever. And if she did she generally told him…and she hadn't mentioned anything about having to be somewhere.

Gage's curiosity took hold and, without thinking, he tore off after his partner toward the parking garage, intent on following her, to see what she was hiding.

Following his partner was relatively easy, Gage knew her car and was lucky enough to be able to catch up to it just as she was exiting the parking garage, when she turned left, Gage furrowed his brow…she didn't live that way…

Sydney drove for about ten minutes until she reached a small, rundown building on the edge of town. Gage parked down the street from her car and watched as she entered the building, gym bag and all. Sydney stopped at the door of the place, and Gage realized that it must have been a club of some sort, as though she felt his eyes on her, she turned around, looking both directions before she proceeded to enter the club. Gage waited ten minutes, his fingers drumming on his steering wheel. When his partner didn't come out, Gage got out of his car, locking it, and jogged across the street to the door she had entered.

The sign on the door said, "The Red Light Bar and Club" and Gage scratched the back of his head, what the hell was his partner doing at a place like this? As he stood there, debating whether he should go in or not, a man about his height came up behind him.

The man tapped Gage on the shoulder, "Hey man, you mind going in or stepping aside? I'm kind of late."

Gage turned, assessing the man before him; he was about Gage's height, but with a slightly narrower build. He looked Spanish with sharp bones and dark eyes; he was dressed in all black, his pants pressed and his shirt, a tight black tee, tucked into those pants. He spoke in deep, clear tones and there was a slight Spanish lilt to his voice that Gage only noticed because it was similar to the one Sydney took on when she was upset or angry. Hurriedly he nodded, stepping aside to let the man enter the bar, deciding quickly, he followed the man into the dimly lit bar.

The Red Light occupied the basement of an old office building, and was quite spacious. Salsa music pulsed in the background and Gage noticed that there was a huge dance floor with dozens of couples dancing furiously in rhythm with the beat of the music. The air was clouded with smoke, and the lights were dimmed, the dance floor bathed in a mixture of red and yellow lighting. Gage scanned the room for his partner, but didn't see her. Intent on keeping his presence a secret from her, he decided to take a seat at the corner of the long bar, a bar that occupied the entire wall to the right of the entrance.

A pretty bartender with red hair and green, green eyes came over to where Gage had settled himself, "Hey there handsome, need a drink?"

Gage nodded, flashing the lady one of his award winning smiles, "A longneck if you will."

He dropped a five on the counter, and took a long drag of his beer when it arrived, his blue eyes still scanning the Red Light's interior for his partner. The man Gage had seen outside was standing in the shadows by the dance floor, talking to a beautiful woman in a deep red dress. As the man leaned in to whisper something in her ear, Gage heard a familiar laugh.

Looking around Gage didn't see his partner, but he heard her laugh? Suddenly, his eyes resting on the man and his woman again, Gage recognized the woman in red…Sydney? It couldn't be, Gage thought, Sydney didn't wear dresses, especially not dresses that cut so low and rode so high, and she definitely didn't wear heels.

The music changed, the rapid fire beat of salsa replaced with the urgent, sexual first notes of a tango. The man took Sydney's hand and led her onto the floor, his gaze locked upon her face and his face serious. They were six steps apart until the first notes of the guitar were joined by piano and some other instrument Gage couldn't identify. When the music gained intensity, the man tugged on Sydney's hand and pulled her close, holding her in the controlled frame of the Argentinean dance.

As Sydney followed the man across the floor, her steps were a mirror image of his and they maintained a small distance between them, Gage found that he couldn't tear his eyes from them. Her blood-red dress shimmered seductively as it molded close to her curves, alternately lighter and darker in color depending on her movements and their location beneath the lights. Her long hair was tied back into a simple pony tail, and it accentuated her long neck and shoulders. Gage's eyes followed the thin strip of fabric that served as the dress strap from her shoulder, to her collar bone, and beyond to the swell of her breasts where they met the seductive folds of fabric. His heart beat a little faster, a little harder, as he watched the sway of his partner, caught up in the seductive notes. She was beautiful, stunning…

The music continued, and Sydney's man pulled her in tight against him, leaning back so that she had no choice but to lean into him, her eyes smoldering as she looked up into his handsome face. Her leg slid between his in a sensual movement. Returning to an upright position, they continued the dance, their feet following the sexual rhythm of the tango, kicking up and around each other before he dipped her again, her leg curling around his, bare skin on black fabric. As she leaned into him, her hands caught up against his chest.

Gage felt a surge of jealousy swell up inside of him as the man's hands danced lightly on his partner's curves. Who was he? Some Spanish lover? Or just a friend, Gage moaned as the man's thumbs brushed up against the sides of Sydney's breasts, dragging her arms above her head for another intricate dip.

Sydney swayed around her partner, lost in the beat of the music and the arms of the man who lead her, her form was solid, strong, and, as she carefully stepped over the feet of the man she danced with, a fire blazed in her eyes. He led her with a firm hand, carefully minding the steps of the dance while he moved her body around his, up and down the dance floor. They were in their own world; no one - not the other dancers, the waiters, or the blue-eyed man staring at them as though they were his last lifeline – broke their concentration. They danced with controlled sex.

The music paused, and they stopped, Sydney bent backwards over the loop of his arms, his face dangerously close to her breasts, and when the song continued, it became faster. She was pulled up and in, sharply against his chest, his long fingers encircling her waist. Grabbing her hip bones, he spun her, removing his hands from her sides and letting her twirl in the empty space between them. Her pony tail swung a little as she turned, once, twice, three times around, her arms raised slightly above her head, giving Gage a seductive view of the backless dress. As the music came to a climactic end, her partner stopped her, pulling her to him tightly, with her hands falling over his head, embracing the back of his neck like a lover as she leaned into him one last time.

Gage tore his gaze from them, breathing heavily he tossed back the rest of his beer and ordered another one. The bartender had been watching him watch the beautiful woman dance and bit her lip…the poor guy.

Sydney's partner slowly eased his arms from her, a charming smile crossing his face as he kissed her cheek, "He came, just like you said he would."

Sydney smiled back, "Yes he did. What do you think… did it work?"

Rico chuckled, the sound low and endearing, "Darling, the man was mesmerized."

Sydney laughed, the rich sound floating across the floor to once more fall upon the ears of her partner. As he turned Sydney looked at Rico, "You are such a romantic…mesmerized…by me?"

Rico smiled and pushed his companion toward the bar, "Yes. Now, go…get your man. He looks mad enough to fight and I don't think I stand a chance today."

Gage turned to leave just as Sydney began walking toward him, he watched her, crossing a room full of salsa dancers, and let his mouth hang open. The other man turned around and escorted a different woman onto the dance floor for a spicy salsa, but Gage had almost forgotten about him, because the look in Sydney's eyes had him mesmerized.


End file.
